Beige is the colour of recession - AkzoNobel

Thinking of getting your home redecorated to take your mind off the gloomy economic outlook? Well your choice of colour will be dictated not by fashion but by your feelings about your finances.

If you're European, like the Blog, you'll be choosing whites and off-whites, while in the US beige and grey are dominant, according to research by AkzoNobel, the world's largest paint and coatings company, supplier of leading brands such as Dulux®, Flexa® and Sikkens®, and huge consumer of chemicals.

"In Asia, however, fresh colours such as clean yellows, pink and light blue are preferred, which could well be related to the local economy," said Stephanie Kraneveld, Global Color Training Manager for AkzoNobel Decorative Paints, unveiling the company's colour trends for 2010.

"Midtones will tend to predominate overall, with cleaner off-whites and fewer heavy shades evident, indicating a move towards colors that are lighter in mood and more optimistic in feeling, which will lift our spirits as we move on from the tough economic times we're currently going through."